Freelancing, minus the busywork
Pipeline, proposals, contracts, and retainers — all in one place. Your clients pay automatically, so you can focus on the work.
Good morning
Friday, June 20
Monthly recurring
Pipeline
Clients
12
Retainers
7
Unpaid
$1.5k
Waiting
3
↑ Live demo — click the menu to explore the dashboard.
Features
Not a generic project management tool with a payment form bolted on. Built specifically for freelancers who bill clients on retainer.
Pipeline CRM
A visual pipeline moves clients from first contact to signed contract to active retainer. No spreadsheets, no sticky notes, no forgetting to follow up.
Proposals + Contracts
Send a professional proposal that includes services, pricing, contract terms, and a payment link. Clients review, sign, and pay without ever leaving the page.
Retainer Billing
Retainers are Stripe subscriptions that live in your own account. When a client's card fails, we send them a retry email automatically — no awkward text from you.
And more
Every client gets a private link to view projects, sign documents, submit content, and pay invoices. No accounts, no passwords, no friction.
Money goes straight into your own Stripe account — a third of what most platforms skim.
Reusable intake forms to collect what you need before kickoff.
Kickoff → in progress → review → live, visible to clients in real time.
When a card fails, we email the client a retry link automatically — no awkward follow-ups from you.
Payments handled by Stripe, data isolated per account, and rate-limited everywhere. Your clients' info stays private.
Comparison
Most all-in-one tools are bloated and pricey. RetainerBase is focused, cheaper, and takes a flat 1% — a third of what others typically charge.
| Feature | RetainerBase | Other tools |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $34.99/mo | $36–$109/mo |
| Platform fee on payments | 1% | 3% |
| Payments to your own Stripe account | ||
| Recurring retainer billing | ||
| Proposals + contracts | ||
| E-signature | ||
| Client portal (no login) | ||
| Automatic dunning emails | ||
| Scheduler | Coming soon | |
| Automations | Coming soon |
Pricing
No percentage fees. No seat limits. No surprises.
Monthly
After founding spots fill. Cancel anytime.
Founding member
Pay once. Lifetime access. All future features included.
30-day refund policy. No questions asked.
Sign up and explore the dashboard before paying. Your trial ends when you add your first paying client — at that point you'll be prompted to pick a plan.
Your clients' active Stripe subscriptions keep running — they pay directly into your connected Stripe account. Canceling RetainerBase only removes your dashboard access.
No. Payments go directly from your clients into your own Stripe account via Stripe Connect. We charge a flat monthly fee, never a percentage.
Yes. First 20 founding members pay once and get access for the operational lifetime of the product, including all future features. After 20 spots, price moves to $34.99/month.
Yes. The client portal is link-based — no login required. You share a unique link per client and they can view projects, sign documents, and pay invoices directly.
A retainer is a recurring monthly subscription (billed automatically every month via Stripe). An invoice is a one-time payment for project work or expenses.
20 founding spots at $99 lifetime. After that, $34.99/month.